A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 483 It’s better to choose a day than to hit it
This was not the first time that Duan Rong came to Cuiwei Peak.

Just after leaving the Pagoda Forest and becoming a formal inner disciple, he paid homage to the ancestors of the sect in the Taiyi Pavilion on Cuiwei Peak.

However, this was the first time Duan Rong had seen the Council of Elders on Cuiwei Peak.

Taiyi Pavilion and Longyu Hall are on the top of the mountain, while the Elders' House is in a shady valley.

When Duan Rong walked up the dilapidated stone steps covered with moss and ferns and came to a platform in the valley, he was shocked by a huge and strange building not far away.

It was a stone building with huge stone pillars that looked like a whole, and the magnificent top was carved with intricate patterns.

In the shadows between the stone pillars, a few maids in bright clothes could be seen carrying wooden trays in and out...

There was not a single guard in the entire building, but as soon as Duan Rongfang stepped onto the platform, several powerful spiritual senses swept towards him.

Duan Rong's heart trembled, and he walked slowly towards the strange stone building that looked like a primitive beast.

He walked along the stone pillar corridor for a long time before he found the entrance.

At the entrance, the threshold was high and several capable middle-aged servants were already standing there.

The servant who was guarding the door and closest to Duan Rong immediately showed his vigilance when he saw that Duan Rong was a stranger, and asked, "Please show me the sect's cloud certificate."

Duan Rong took out the sect's cloud certificate and handed it over. The servant took a look at it and immediately said with a smile: "Master Duan, please follow me."

This person obviously knew that Duan Rong was coming today.

Duan Rong used his body to jump over the high threshold and stood beside the servant. The servant returned the sect's cloud certificate to Duan Rong and said, "I will take Lord Duan to the back hall to wait. The elders will discuss matters in the front hall in a while. When they call Lord Duan, you can come over."

Duan Rong heard this and nodded slightly.

The middle-aged servant led Duan Rong and walked along the edge inside.

The marble obsidian floor beneath their feet was so shiny that one could see through it. Soon they passed by the meeting place, which was a huge oval stone table surrounded by a circle of huge stone chairs.

Duan Rong asked, "Is this where the elders hold meetings?"

The servant walked over and said, "That's right!"

The servant led Duan Rong to a space behind the meeting place.

It is called space because it is surrounded by four pillars but has no walls, so it is open.

This is not only true for this space, but also for the place where the elders hold meetings.

There is no private space in the entire Elders' Court. Everything is open...

Inside that room, there were all kinds of tables, chairs, and utensils, as well as many eye-catching ornaments. In the celadon vase on the stone table, there were a few fresh flowers that were about to bloom, and their petals were so gorgeous that they were tempting to the point of dripping with beauty.

Even though Duan Rong had already identified hundreds of herbs through devouring the spirit of the instrument, he didn't know what kind of flower it was.

The middle-aged attendant led Duan Rong to sit down, then bowed and said, "Master Duan, you can rest here for a while. If you need anything, you can go to the door and call me."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Thank you very much!"

"Your Excellency is too polite!" The servant bowed again and turned to leave.

Duan Rong sat there, looking at the flowers not far away. The more he looked, the more curious he became. "Isn't it late autumn now? How come there are still such bright and colorful flower buds?"

He stood up and walked to the celadon vase on the stone table. He leaned over and sniffed the flowers. A faint fragrance was refreshing.

Duan Rong took a flower bud out of the celadon vase and wanted to carefully identify its branches and leaves.

He had just pulled the flower bud out of the celadon, but in the blink of an eye, the branch in his hand, which was full of fragrance, suddenly dried up, and the flowers withered and the leaves turned yellow, falling in the wind.

Duan Rong was stunned and stood there, not knowing what was going on.

At this time, a maid in a lush green skirt came in with a wooden tray. When she saw Duan Rong standing there in a daze, holding a dead branch in her hand, she smiled and said, "That thing can't leave the porcelain bottle. If it leaves the porcelain bottle, it will wither!"

The maid said this and placed the tea and snacks on the wooden tray on the table.

Duan Rong stared at the maid with a bright smile and asked, "Will it wither if it leaves the porcelain bottle?"

"Yes." The maid smiled.

Duan Rong looked at the dead branch in his hand and the vibrant branch in the celadon bottle next to him. Within a short distance, life and death! This contrast seemed to reveal something strange, and he couldn't help asking, "Why is it so?"

"This..." The maid frowned slightly. It was obvious that she didn't quite understand the question, but she still tried to answer: "It seems that there is some kind of rune in the celadon bottle that can kill the life in the branches."

"Rune?"

Duan Rong's eyes moved, and he thought of the faintly visible runes on the Dew Drinking Cicada. He remembered that Zhu He had told him that they were seed characters. He wondered if the runes in the porcelain bottle were the same thing?

Duan Rong held the dead branch in his hand, a little hesitant.

The maid over there seemed to have seen through Duan Rong's thoughts. She came over with an empty tray and said as she walked, "Sir, give me this dead branch!"

Duan Rong smiled slightly and placed the dead branch in his hand on the maid's tray. The maid then picked up the dried petals and dead leaves that had fallen on the ground and placed them on the tray. She then bowed to Duan Rong and slowly walked away.

Duan Rong sat there and took a sip of tea. Now he glanced at the branches in the celadon vase. His mood had changed drastically.

It can kill the vitality of branches! Is it the power of law?
Just as Duan Rong was thinking about this, he suddenly saw Zhu He walking out from that side. As soon as Zhu He saw Duan Rong, the next moment, he was standing in front of Duan Rong like a ghost.

Duan Rong was startled and almost choked on his tea.

Zhu He looked at Duan Rong and said, "There might be a lot of noise in the meeting later. Just keep talking and state the facts. Don't say anything extra."

Duan Rong looked at Zhu He's solemn expression and said, "Disciple understands."

Zhu He hummed and left.

Duan Rong sat there, thinking about the meaning of Zhu He's words, then picked up a piece of dessert and started eating.

Before he finished his snack, he heard a noisy voice coming from the meeting place in the front hall. After a while, he heard the sound of a bronze bell.

But after the sound of the bronze chime, the noisy voices did not subside and were still noisy.

Duan Rong shook his head and thought to himself, "Why are these sect elders acting like elementary school students? They are so messy, disorganized, and undisciplined."

But at this moment, the noisy voices suddenly stopped, and the whole space suddenly became quiet. At that moment, Duan Rong was dazed, and it felt as if he had suddenly lost his hearing.

It was a feeling as if a sound was suddenly and completely pulled away from my ears.

Duan Rong slid down from the chair and looked around nervously. At this moment, he saw an old man coming out from the other end and walking towards Duan Rong.

The moment the old man turned around, Duan Rong clearly heard footsteps. It was the only sound in the silent space.

There was still a hint of surprise in Duan Rong's eyes. The old servant walked slowly towards Duan Rong and said with a smile, "Master Duan, please follow me to the front hall."

Duan Rong's eyes moved, and he followed the old man, his eyes sweeping over the old man from time to time.

The two men turned around the pillar in front of them, and Duan Rong was suddenly stunned. He saw that the huge oval stone table was not far away. The elders of the sect were already sitting around the stone table. From his position, he could see an old man whose name he could not remember, who was talking about something with spit flying everywhere. But the strange thing was that Duan Rong was so close to the old man, and the old man was talking very excitedly, almost shouting, but he could not hear any sound.

It was just like watching a movie without sound, but now he was in reality, and the scene before him was indescribably weird.

The loudest sound in his ears was the footsteps of himself and Lao Sheren beside him. Their feet stepped on the obsidian marble surface, making crisp and pleasant sounds.

Duan Rong's eyes moved, and he was about to ask the old man, but after he took half a step, he was suddenly surrounded by a noise.

Duan Rong was suddenly stunned, and his body couldn't help but pause slightly.

Seeing Duan Rong pause, Lao Sheren turned around and pointed to the top of his head, explaining: "After the bronze chime is struck, the meeting place will be shielded by a soundproof wall..."

"Soundproof wall?" Duan Rong looked around at the empty space, especially where he was standing, there was nothing at all!

Duan Rong knew that where he was standing was where the soundproof wall was. When he took half a step forward, there was noise; when he took half a step back, there was silence.

"Mr. Duan, please!" The old man looked at Duan Rong with a smile.

Duan Rong then continued to follow Lao Sheren towards the huge oval stone table.

Whether it was the porcelain bottle that could lock up the vitality of the branches or the empty soundproof wall, Duan Rong was greatly shocked. This shock was no less than witnessing the fight between Gu Daoling and Ge Rushong in the suburbs of Shenyun Mansion.

After all, he was still only at the Yuanqi realm, and his realm was low. The many mysteries of cultivation were far beyond his understanding at this moment.

Lao Sheren led Duan Rong to the huge oval stone table, and the noisy sound of the quarrel was obviously much weaker.

Duan Rong stood there, his eyes scanning the area. There were many faces sitting around the huge stone table, some unfamiliar to him, and they all looked at him.

Duan Rong then discovered that there were many open boxes on the open space beside Chu Qiushan, and the boxes were filled with neatly arranged books.

Duan Rong's eyes moved slightly, and he clearly saw the box containing the records of officials above the third rank.

During the narration of the case, just as Zhu He had instructed him before, a few people were indeed arguing fiercely. After listening for a while, Duan Rong found out that they were from Ge Rushong's gang. However, they were not trying to exonerate Ge Rushong, but were pushing all the blame onto Ge Rushong.

While they were arguing, they would occasionally ask Duan Rong a few questions.

Afterwards, Yang Sixuan asked Duan Rong several questions in succession, ranging from the Taihe Tower incident to Pei Du and Jiang Zhe besieging and trying to kill him in the dense forest, and then to his encounter with Ge Rushong in the Lingzhen Taoist Temple outside Shenyun Mansion.

Yang Sixuan unraveled the mystery and asked many details without getting tired of it. He often asked a question and then asked more questions layer by layer according to Duan Rong's answer until he understood everything clearly.

Duan Rong answered fluently and responded truthfully.

Yang Sixuan even asked Duan Rong about the fake death of Li Shensi. He asked Duan Rong if he noticed the movements of those who planned to kill Li Shensi when he was secretly investigating the spies.
Duan Rong's expression remained unchanged. He only talked about Li Shensi's matter. When he was investigating the spies, he did not find any relevant clues.

Yang Sixian stared at Duan Rong for a moment before stopping his questioning.

After Yang Sixian finished asking questions, Lin Youjian also asked Duan Rong a few questions.

After Ge Rushong was brought down, Chu Qiushan appointed Lin Youjian to replace Ge Rushong as the chief of the Tongzhengshisi.

Yang Sixian and Lin Youjian were the two elders with the least experience in the sect elders' hall, but Chu Qiushan valued them very much. Moreover, Lin Youjian was a woman, but Chu Qiushan still let her take charge of the extremely important Tongzhengshisi. From this, we can also see Chu Qiushan's style of employing people.

After the two asked, some elders asked Duan Rong some questions sporadically.

Duan Rong also answered them one by one.

In fact, they had discussed it several times before Duan Rong returned to the mountain. Calling Duan Rong back to the mountain was just to verify some issues.

After Duan Rong was interrogated for a long time, the elders began to whisper to each other, but no one attacked Duan Rong again.

At this time, Chu Qiushan asked Duan Rong to tell the whole story of the Taihe Tower incident, the siege and killing of Pei Du and Jiang Zhe in the dense forest, and the Ge Rushong incident.

Duan Rong sighed. He had basically said everything when answering the questions just now.

But since Master Chu had requested it, Duan Rong had no choice but to recount the entire process of the three cases. He finished only when his mouth became dry.

Chu Qiushan then waved to the old man standing over there.

The old servant came over and whispered, "Master Duan, come this way."

Duan Rong followed the old servant out. As he walked, he heard Chu Qiushan say behind him: "When you compare what you asked with what Duan Rong just said, there is no mistake or omission. The evidence for these three cases is irrefutable. As for the people involved in the confessions of Ge Rushong, Pei Du, and Jiang Zhe, I think we cannot just listen to their one-sided words..."

Duan Rong had already followed the old man out of the soundproof wall when he heard this. He didn't know what Chu Qiushan said afterwards. However, from the last sentence, it was obvious that he was talking about other people involved in the confessions of Ge Rushong, Pei Du, and Jiang Zhe. But Chu Qiushan seemed to not want to pursue the matter any further.

In Ge Rushong's camp, the one who is truly competing with Zhu He for the position of the next sect leader is Lu Zhongtang, the descendant of the sect's ancestor.

I'm afraid that the person involved in the confessions of Ge Rushong, Jiang Zhe and others is this Lu Zhongtang.

But even though Chu Qiushan is the sect leader, he doesn't dare to touch the bloodline of the sect's ancestor easily. What's more, there is only confession but no physical evidence. Who knows if Ge Rushong and others are making random accusations to exonerate themselves?

However, these matters were left for the elders to argue about. They had nothing to do with him anymore. Duan Rong walked back to the previous place with ease.

He looked at the old man and asked, "Now that the case has been explained, can I leave now?"

The old man shook his head and said, "Not yet, sir! You have to wait until the meeting is over before you can leave. What if the elders call you again later?"

After Lao Sheren finished speaking, he bowed to Duan Rong and turned to leave.

Duan Rong sighed helplessly and sat there bored. After Lao Sheren's footsteps disappeared, there was silence in his ears again.

After he ate two pieces of dessert, he lost interest.

Duan Rong sat there for a while. Since he had nothing to do, he took out the secret animal skin of the Mountain River Moon Shadow Knife from his lapel, spread it out on the table and started reading.

The entire detailed process of practicing the Mountain River Moon Shadow Sword was already in his spiritual memory. At this moment, Duan Rong mobilized the memories in his spiritual consciousness and the contents of the secret book in front of him to copy them one by one.

Duan Rong looked for a while, and the knife shadow between the eyebrows of the gray shadow sitting cross-legged in the center of the sky in his spiritual sea of consciousness suddenly lit up. At the same time, spots of light and shadow flashed on the chest and abdomen of the gray shadow's body.

At this moment, the artistic conception of the Mountain, River and Moon Shadow Sword actually rose up in Duan Rong's heart.

At the moment when the artistic conception arose, as if inspired, Duan Rong's mind suddenly emerged the twisted and curved seal-style characters written by Gu Daoling in Zhu He's room yesterday.

The moment the strange words appeared, Duan Rong's mind was captured, and the artistic conception of the Mountain River Moon Shadow Knife in his mind also began to undergo subtle changes.

At this moment, the vital energy in Duan Rong's Dantian began to circulate involuntarily, and it circulated faster and faster, like a rushing river, rushing towards the acupuncture points in his meridians.

"This is……"

Duan Rong was shocked.

As the artistic conception of the Mountain River Moon Shadow Knife changed subtly, the cyclone realm technique he had absorbed actually started to operate on its own...

"This is swirling!"

Duan Rong's perception this time was very different from that in Zhu He's room. At that time he could not sense his own existence at all, but now he could clearly sense the subtle changes in his body.

He knew that as long as he had the intention, he could immediately stop the knot that was accidentally triggered. When he was ready later, it would not be too late to break through to the knot state.

But for some reason, Duan Rong had a feeling that he would be able to break through in one fell swoop this time.

"Forget it! It's better to do it today than to wait for another day!"

"That's it!"

(End of this chapter)